


(it's been a long time coming) but it's you and me

by Dinosaur1212



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: #LegaciesHufflepuff, #TwitterHogwartsHousesChallenge, Angst, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I miss posie so much, One Shot, There is death, There is very little dialogue, i had a severe posie breakdown writing this, i wrote this instead of my term paper uh, like practically none, the angstiest thing i've written maybe, the merge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23961139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinosaur1212/pseuds/Dinosaur1212
Summary: Falling in love was never part of the plan. It was never Penelope’s intention to come to the Salvatore School and fall in love.
Relationships: Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 4
Kudos: 74





	(it's been a long time coming) but it's you and me

**Author's Note:**

> okay i for real have a term paper due in four days but i wrote this instead because i miss posie so please enjoy this! also this is for the Legacies Hogwarts Challenge on Twitter for House Hufflepuff, cause Hufflepuff rocks!

Falling in love was never part of the plan. It was never Penelope’s intention to come to the Salvatore School and fall in love.

But she had.

She fell in love with brown hair and pouty lips, but there was so much more than that. 

There was the way the brunette laughed that just filled Penelope with a warmth she had never felt. 

There was also the way she would catch the girl staring at her when she thought Penelope wasn’t looking.

But Penelope always caught her stare, and she would smile when the brunette looked away, blushing as she did so.

It didn’t take long for Penelope to give into her feelings and ask Josie Saltzman out, even if it was the scariest decision she had ever made in her life. 

And thus began the best time of Penelope’s life.

Sneaking off the school grounds to go into town and get ice cream with Josie.

Laying in her bed, arm wrapped around Josie as they watched movies on Netflix.

Meeting up on the roof of the school just to stare at the stars; she was always happy to listen to Josie prattle on about the stars and space in general.

Skipping class to make out wherever they could. Sometimes it would be Penelope’s room, but they had found themselves in the library or one of the many supply closets that were in the school.

Of course their relationship wasn’t perfect; they had their fights and rough patches.

The fights usually revolved around Penelope planning elaborate dates, but Josie would bail last minute due to something happening with Lizzie.

They would get mad at one another, but Penelope was always quick to apologize for getting angry, simply because she couldn’t stand to lose Josie. 

Then

It

All

Came

Crashing

Down.

She hadn’t meant to find out about the Merge; it had just been by pure accident she had heard about it the first time. She had been trying to get supplies for a date on the roof where her and Josie would stargaze, but had stumbled upon Dr Saltzman talking on the phone. At first she didn’t think anything of it, he was prone to talking on the phone, especially with Caroline gone, but she quickly realized this call was serious.

So she hid around the corner and overheard enough information that she knew what she had to do.

She heard how Dr Saltzman was telling Caroline to keep looking for a cure for the Merge because he didn’t want to see one of his daughters die. 

She also heard how he quickly corrected himself to say “our daughters,” to which she assumed Caroline had chastised him for his first word choice.

That was all she needed to hear for her to make her decision.

And so a romantic date on the roof turned to Penelope breaking Josie’s heart—as well as her own—in a spot that meant so much to each of them.

Penelope never returned to the roof after that night; she had no idea if Josie ever did.

It was from that moment out that she started trying to make Josie become an independent person in the only way she knew how: to become the villain to the girl she was still very much in love with. She knew her method might not have been the best—or the healthiest—but she didn’t know what else to do. It was too late to try and talk to Josie because Josie had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her.

Even if she caught Josie staring at her with longing in her eyes when she thought no one else was paying attention. Penelope never made it obvious that she noticed; she didn’t want to take that from Josie. 

For Christmas she gave out pens that were spelled to write everything that was written in them in her own personal journal. She had a feeling Josie would’ve called it her “burn book” because the siphoner always did have a soft spot for  _ Mean Girls _ . 

Her plan was to try and gather more information on the Merge so that, maybe, one day she would be able to tell Josie. 

Her intention was never to read anything Josie had written, but eventually curiosity had gotten the best of her. 

It had come after several moments where she had let her walls down around Josie. 

The first time being after Josie had been buried alive by her dead mother on her birthday; she had played it off like she was just being the selfish person she had made herself out to be, but she wasn’t. She was a girl with a broken heart, and after almost losing Josie at least six years too soon, she let her emotions take over. The emotions she had tried so hard to not let show, but she couldn’t hide them now. And for the briefest of seconds, Penelope forgot about everything, she let everything slide away as she got lost in the kiss before Josie was pulling away declaring that she hated Penelope before she was initiating a kiss herself. Then Josie was gone, leaving Penelope in the hall as she tried to not let her emotions get the best of her.

The second time had come after—of course—the monster of the week at the Salvatore School happened to be magical slugs that lowered everyone’s inhibitions. She already hadn’t had all her walls up that day because of the letter she had given Josie earlier that day that described how she was going to be leaving the school, but the slugs sure didn’t help. So when Josie asked her what had been in the letter, her slug drunk brain decided it would be a good idea to kiss her in response. A part of her was glad that was all she did, because she could’ve spilled all her secrets right there and then. Granted the declaration by Josie about how they were never getting back together sobered her enough to keep in everything she wanted to tell the siphoner. But, then, to top it all off, Hope Mikaelson showed up with her ever annoying antics and threw her into the wall, and that was all she remembered from that night.

But now, on the day when she was slated to leave for Belgium, she broke down and read what Josie had written. She was really just trying to see if she could figure out if Josie had read the letter, but she had instead stumbled upon Josie’s writing about the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. After reading about that and how the pageant was today, Penelope decided she wanted to spend her last day with Josie even if the siphoner was reluctant. Throughout the entire morning she was trying to get Josie to admit that she wanted to win the pageant, but then Josie confronted her about the pens. That was how she found herself drinking out of a bottle of alcohol Landon had offered her, sharing the secrets she knew Hope was keeping from him. Once he stormed off, she walked back into the school seeing as she was still Josie’s escort for the ball. She found herself telling Josie that she was stuck with her, even though she knew she would be leaving in just a few hours. And when they were walking down the stairs, a part of her actually thought Josie was going to stand up for herself, but when she watched Josie purposefully trip on Lizzie’s command, she knew she had to get out of there. She had retreated to her room to change and gather her belongings, holding back her tears as she did so. She really didn’t think she was going to see Josie again before she left, but right as she was about to leave she heard the pained voice of the girl she loved so much. So Penelope explained everything to Josie, lying only once when she told her that she was going to be attending a witch only school. In reality, she had convinced Caroline to let her help with research on the Merge. And for the final time, Penelope let her walls down, kissing Josie one last time as she confessed that she loved her, before walking away without hearing those words said back to her.

And for the next six years Penelope helped Caroline work on trying to find a cure for the Merge. At some point towards the end of the third year, Caroline left to return to the Salvatore School after hearing of everything Dr Saltzman had been keeping from her, effectively leaving Penelope on her own, although they kept in touch daily. They never talked about Josie, though, only the Merge.

It was almost the end of the sixth year, just a week before the twins’ twenty-second birthday when Caroline asked her to return to the Salvatore School, saying that there was no longer any time to find a cure; that Penelope should just come back to the States in order to spend time with Josie since it might be the last week of her life. Reluctantly, Penelope agreed, knowing Caroline was right about; they weren’t going to find a cure. She would rather reunite with Josie for what could be the last time than let Josie potentially die believing that Penelope didn’t care about her, for Penelope had made it clear that Josie wasn’t supposed to know about her assistance with the research.

That was how Penelope found herself on a flight back to Virginia; the burden she was carrying, weighing heavily on her heart. She had no idea what she was going to say to Josie when she saw her again. Of course, over the years, she thought about what she might say to Josie, but now that it was actually happening, she had no clue.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to know what to say, because as soon as she walked into the school, Josie was running towards her.

“When my mom told me you were coming back, there was only one thing I could think of that I wanted to say to you,” Josie paused to catch her breath before saying words Penelope never thought she would hear again, “I love you too Penelope. I wanted to say that to you the night you left, and I have kicked myself every day since for not telling you that, but I finally got the chance to.”

Penelope didn’t even have a chance to say anything as Josie was kissing her. It wasn’t a slow kiss, but Penelope felt Josie’s love all the same. It was a kiss of lost time and opportunities, filled with all the feelings that had gone unsaid between the two girls throughout the years. It was a kiss that felt like Penelope was home after being away for so long.

When they finally parted, Penelope just let out an airy breath as a smile formed on her face, regardless of the severity of what was soon going to happen.

The entire week was filled with Josie and Penelope talking about everything that had happened the past six years.

Penelope learned Josie had changed her name to Josie Laughlin-Forbes after learning about all the horrible things her father had done, and after how he had made it seem like her fault they got sent to the prison world a few years prior.

In turn, Penelope admitted the truth about why she had left, how she had been working with Caroline the past six years. How she had never finished her schooling because saving Josie’s life was more important than finishing her education.

They also did more than talking during that week.

They went on ice cream dates like they were teenagers again.

They stayed in Josie’s room—as her and Lizzie finally had separate rooms—and watched movies together. Most of the time this turned into kissing, which led to making out, which also led to more inappropriate things that Caroline had accidentally walked in on one time, needing to talk to Penelope about something that had happened in Europe.

Not once did they return to the roof of the school to gaze at the stars, both knowing the history the roof carried.

All too soon the twins’ twenty-second birthday came, along with the Merge. 

A day that was supposed to be celebrated was turned into a day where someone would die.

Penelope and Josie spent the entire morning together, both knowing this might be the last time they would spend together.

“I don’t want to die,” Josie had quietly croaked out between tears, “But I don’t want Lizzie to die either.”

Her own eyes wet with tears, Penelope softly replied, “I know. Whatever happens, just know that I love you no matter what.” Her voice had almost cracked while she spoke, but she kept it together for Josie.

It was then that Caroline came to get both of them for the Merge, thus causing the second time Penelope told Josie she loved her without hearing the words back.

The Merge was taking place in the field behind the school, with only a few adults present. One was a teacher at the school that Penelope had learned was Jade, one of the students that had been sentenced to the prison world for something she couldn’t control. She had also learned that her and Josie had dated briefly, but they decided they had been better off as friends.

Hope was also there, and Penelope knew this was in support of Lizzie. She had learned that Lizzie and Hope had started dating a few years prior, even with the knowledge of the Merge, because they couldn’t ignore their feelings any longer.

The whole mood was somber, everyone knowing one of the twins was about the die.

As the twins joined hands and started reciting the spell to initiate the Merge, Penelope’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the ritual unfold.

Penelope watched as the wind picked up around them, wiping away the tears that were finally spilling from her eyes. She watched as Josie and Lizzie kept chanting the words involved with the Merge.

Then the air stilled and the twins went silent, both falling to the ground.

Penelope rushed towards Josie and she could see Hope do the same for Lizzie.

“Please wake up Jojo, please,” Penelope pleaded as she held Josie in her arms.

Looking up, Penelope saw Jade standing there with a worried look on her face.

As if she sensed Penelope’s gaze on her, Jade crouched down and quietly spoke, “She loves you, you know. The love she feels for you burns brighter than the sun. I’m sure she’ll wake up.”

Penelope just nodded as she focused her attention back on Josie, her gaze clouded by tears. She could hear Hope trying to get Lizzie to wake up. Then there was the presence of Caroline that she could feel, and she knew the blonde vampire didn’t know which twin to go to.

Then she felt Josie stir in her arms and while it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, Penelope knew what this meant for Lizzie.

“I-I won?” Josie stammered out, her voice barely above a whisper, but Penelope could hear the confusion and pain hidden in Josie’s voice.

Penelope blinked to clear her vision as she answered, “Yeah, you did.”

Everything after that was a blur. She remembered hearing Hope scream and start crying, with Caroline moving to comfort the tribrid. She remembered her and Jade helping Josie back to her room, no one saying a word the entire walk back. Then it was just her and Josie in the room, and the two fell asleep, Penelope holding Josie in her arms.

It was hours later that Penelope woke up instantly realizing that Josie was gone. A part of her thought that maybe she had hallucinated the whole part of Josie waking up, but when she frantically looked around, she saw a note sitting on the nightstand.

Picking it up, Penelope feared the worst as she read it, but was relieved when she read what was written.

_ “I needed some air” _

Biting her bottom lip in thought about where Josie could’ve gone, Penelope figured there was only one place.

She found her feet taking her to a place she hadn’t been in years. A place she never thought she would return, but then again, she never thought she would reunite with Josie and here she was.

She wasn’t sure if Josie wanted her company, but she also knew she had to make sure Josie was okay as she opened the latch to the roof. Climbing up onto the roof, she could make out Josie’s figure laying on a blanket staring up at the sky. She could hear Josie crying from where she was, and it only got louder as she approached Josie.

“Hey,” was all Penelope said as she laid down next to Josie.

Josie turned to look at Penelope then, taking a few deep breaths before shakily admitting, “I only won because of you. The only thing I could think about as the Merge started was how you loved me, and I knew I couldn’t leave you in that moment. So I fought, even though I always told myself I wouldn’t.”

Penelope brushed a strand of hair out of Josie’s face as the brunette was reduced to crying again, before she answered, “And I still do. I love you, and I know you’re carrying a lot of pain right now, but I will be here for you no matter what.”

“I love you too,” Josie choked out, closing her eyes as tears streamed out of them.

A silence fell over the two then as neither knew what to say. It was only after a few minutes of silence that Penelope spoke up.

“What made you choose the roof?”

Opening her eyes, Josie looked away from Penelope as she revealed, “It’s the one place I knew you would look first even though we haven’t been here in years.”

Penelope nodded at Josie’s response, deciding to pull Josie close to her as she placed a light kiss on Josie’s forehead, “We’ll get through this. One day at a time, but we will. We’ll do it together.”

“I know,” Josie breathed out as she relaxed into Penelope’s grasp, eventually drifting off to sleep.

Penelope was soon to follow, her mind at ease knowing Josie was safe in her arms.

And while falling in love had never been a part of the plan all those years ago when she had first arrived at the Salvatore School, she didn’t regret it in the slightest. If Josie’s love for her burned brighter than the sun, then she was going to live every day basking in the glow of it, knowing it could all go away without warning. __

**Author's Note:**

> find me on Twitter @legayseas to yell at me for this. i really don't know what possessed me to write this other than i wanted angst? okay i'm running away now. kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!!!!


End file.
